Oil-shale betobt



F. JONES.

OIL SHALE RETORT.

APPLICATION HLED MAY 29, 1918.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET1 F. JONES.

OIL SHALE RETORT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. I918.

1,373,890. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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F. JONES.

OIL SHALE RETORT. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1919.

1,373,890. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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UNITED STATES FRANK JONES, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

OIL-SHALE RETORT.

Application filed May 29, 1918.

T 0 cllwhom zit may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK JoNEs, a c1t1- zen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Oil-Shale Betorts, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in oil-shale and o lsands retorts; that is to say, retorts in which the various constituents of the oilshale and oil-sands are distilled off. Al though especially designed for the purpose mentioned, the present invention. is not 11mited to the particular use stated as the retort may be employed in other fields and wherever its use will be found beneficial.

The present invention is, however, specifically directed to the distillation of o1l-shale and oil-sands by a continuous type of retort, said retort comprising a series of super-posed intercommunicating hearths each having a separate and distinct heating chamber, the 0il-shale or oil-sands treated in one hearth being designed to drop to the next hearth below, the last or bottom hearth of the series discharging the spent shale.

A leading object of the present invention is to simplify the retort construction and facilitate the distillation of the oils carried in the shale and sands and to control the feed and discharge of material in a more effective manner.

Another object of the invention is to subject the shale to a continuous heat of different degrees of intensity, the different constituents being distilled off more rapidly and. being conducted away separately thereby resulting in a great saving.

/Vith the above and other objects in view my invention consists of the parts, and the constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts which I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved retort showing the feeding and driving mechanism, also the general heating plan.

Fig. 2is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 5, showing the bottom hearth and the discharge openings and dischar e Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921. Serial No. 237,304.

valves; also the system of piping to obtain superheated steam, and a rabble-arm with its plows and steam-jets connected.

Flg. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of F1g. 6, showing the hearth with its central discharge.

F 1g. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 5, showing the hearth with its doors and marginal discharge opening, and a hollow rabble-arm with its connections; the fiues and the pipes and burners for the application of heat.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View on the line AA of Fig. 1, showing the driving mechanism in elevation. k

F 1g. 6 is a vertical section on the line B-B of Fig. 1, showing some of the parts in elevation.

in carrying out my invention it construct the retort of a general cylindrical character and with walls of fire-brick or other refractory material; in fact of any material suitable for the work for which the retort is designed. Within this casing are arranged a series of annular hearths, which are substantially horizontal, said hearths, 1, 2. 3. 4t, 5 and 6 being superposed and connecting with each other through passages or openings, 10, formed centrally of alternate hearths, and through flues or passages, 11, located near the outer margins of intermediate hearths, whereby the oil-shale or oilsands to be treated are caused to pass in a more or less tortuous course through the re tort from end to end, and to be finally delivered as a spent shale from the lower hearth, 1. r

The casing is surmounted by an appropriate hopper or hoppers; in the present instance, I have shown a divided hopper or in fact two hoppers, a, a, each of which is designed to supply material to the upper hearth, 6. For this purpose I may use any well known form offeeding mechanism or such mechanism as will best serve my purpose. 1

As shown, the feeding mechanism comprising a double plunger, 12, actuated by connecting rods, 13, which in turn are attached to an oscillating slotted arm, 14:, whose lower end is held rigid by being attached to the base of the bearing, 15, for the upper end of the central, hollow shaft, 16, which I will hereinafter describe, the upper portion of the arm, 14, being connected to and actuated by crank-pin, 1.7, rigidly at,

I tached to a revolving crank, 18, and slidably mounted in a slotted portion of said arm, or being otherwise slidably connected to said arm. In practice, the revolving crank is adjustable on the crank-shaft, l9, and accordingly can be set to give the plungers a shorter or longer stroke.

The plungers, 12, operate within appropriate casings, 20, whose upper portions are horizontal and whose lower portions are vertical and pass into the upper portion of the casing above the uppermost hearth, 6, the material dropping onto the hearth near the outer margin and being gradually advanced inwardly over the hearth toward the open center thereofand through the passage which connects said hearth with the lower succeeding hearth, from which latter the oil-shale or oil-sand is again advanced in an outward direction over the last-named hearth, toward the outer margin thereof and into an opening or passage, 11, which connects said hearth with the next lower hearth. This alternate movement of the oil-shale or oil-sands first in one direction and then in .theother, over successive hearths, is continued throughout the entire retort, which retort may be constructed with as many hearths as may be found necessary for the proper treatment of the material.

At each hearth where the shale is received at the center there is a flange, 21, around the main vertical shaft and rigidly attached to thehearth. Around this flange is a hood, 22, rigidly attached to the saidshaft and revolving with it, said flange forming the bottom of the hearth around the main shaft and the hood merely acting as a cover to prevent any grit from getting between the revolving shaft and the fixed flange. However, at the bottom hearth, 1, there is a specially constructed casing, 23, around the main central shaft. This casing is rigidly attached to the bottom hearth and to the bottom of the retort also; its lower end is in the form of a gland, 24, and its upper end is flanged. This casing protects the revolving shaft from excess heat which is obtained in the bottom hearth, and the gland at its lower end prevents the outside air from entering the bottom hearth. At the extreme lower end of the revolving central shaft there is also a specially constructed gland, 25, with two packings and into this gland the pipe, 26, which is designed to conduct superheated steam into the main shaft, as I will hereinafter explain, screws into 'the lower part of said gland.

Each of the hearths is annular and is arovided with an opening which is contro led by a door or closure, 27, of suitable construction and which gives access to the hearth from the outside of theretort when this is found to be desirable or necessary.

Extending centrally through the retort is the vertical shaft, 16, which is mounted,

in appropriate bearings and has its lower end connected with suitable mechanism for rotating the shaft, this mechanism comprising a beveled gear, 28, on the lower end of the shaft adapted to be engaged and driven by a pinion, 29, on a horizontal shaft, 30, having upon its outer end a sprocket wheel, 31, from which a drive chain or the like extends to a similar sprocket wheel, 32, on the crank shaft, 19, which actuates the aforesaid plungers or feeding devices.

Appropriately secured to the centralv shaft, 16, are hollow arms, 83, which are provided with depending blades or stirrers, 3a, set at an appropriate angle and which arms I will hereinafter refer to as rabbleaums, since their function is to advance the material under treatment progressively over the several hearths, it being understood that the blades or stirrers are so arranged that alternate rabble-arms advance the material in alternate directions. The hollow interiors of the rabble-arms connect through openings, 35, with the interior of the vertical rotating shaft, 16, which shaft is hollow and is designed. to be supplied with steam or other heated gas, said arms being provided with perforations, 36, which allow the steam or gas to be delivered in the form of jets upon the oil-shale or oil-sands on the respective hearths.

The operation of the parts so far as described is substantially as follows:

The oil-shale or oil-sands are held in the hoppers, a and a, and are fed by gravity through the lower opening thereof and into the horizontal portion of the chambers or passages, 20, in which the plungers, 12, operate. These plungers pass directly beneath the outlet of the hoppers and back of the supply and push a charge of material over the horizontal floors of the passages, 20, and into the vertical passages, 20, for delivery to the upper hearth, 6. As the plungers move toward the center of the retort, on the return stroke, the shale drops down into the compartments or passages, 20, as shown in Fig. 5, and then as the plungers move outward they push the material forward so that a portion of it will drop into the vertical passages, 20, and fall upon the upper hearth. At this point attention is di rected to the fact that all times during the operation of the retort there will remain in front of the plungers a body of packed shale or oil-sands, which prevents the es-ape of gases arising from the treatment of material on the uppermost hearth. In other words, the horizontal passage in which the plungers operate is substantially packed with shale to practically close this passage and render the same gas-tight, it being understood that as the plungers operate they each advance this body of material for a limited distame whereby the shale or sands at the outer limit of the passage will be pushed into the vertical passages, but there will remain in the horizontal passage in front of the plungers suiiicient of the material in a more or less packed form, to prevent the escape of gases ascending from the hearth below, as before explained. This construction also excludes air from the outside in case the hoppers at any time become empty.

The shale dropping onto the uppermost hearth near its margin will be rabbled to the center by plows or stirrers, attached to one of the hollow rabble-arms, 33. It will be understood that although I have omitted the showing of rabble-arms in certain of the hearth chambers, that each of said chambers will be provided with said arms and that the material will be rabbled over the surface of the hearth in the same manner, except that on the one hearth the material is advanced over the margin to the center and on the next chamber it will be moved from the center toward the margin, this alternate movement of the shale occurring in succes= sive chambers.

As before explained the central vertical shaft, 16, is designed to be supplied with superheated steam, and the hollow rabblearms are connected to the shaft so as to receive the steam therefrom and these arms are in turn supplied with means for directing steam jets upon the material on the hearth, the live superheated steam playing upon the shale as it is being subjected to the action of heat and movement across the hearth.

As the shale is rabbled to the center of the hearth it falls through a central opening, 10, onto the next succeeding hearth where it is rabbled to the marginal openings, 11; it is then rabbled to the central opening of the next hearth and thus to the marginal opening of the following hearth and this operation continues throughout the entire series of hearths and until the material reaches the central portion of the final or lower hearth, 1, over which it is rabbled to the marginal opening which in this case communicates with appropriate chutes, 37-38, leading through the walls of the re tort casing. At this point, namely, where the spent shale is to be discharged, great precaution is employed to exclude outside air. To this end the discharge of the spent shale is controlled by specially designed valves, 39-40, which in the present case are shown as being of a hollow rotary type having an opening I), which is designed to be brought into register with the interior of a chute and to receive a charge of the spent shale during a partial revolution of the valve and to cut-off communication with the chute and to deliver the charge of shale through an outlet, 0, formed in the valve casing. In other words, the valves which to the chute.

control the discharge of the spent shale each comprise a hollow fixed cylinder or casing, 39--40, in which revolves a second hollow cylinder or valve 3940, which valve fits the casing with a running fit. The outside or fixed hollow cylinder or casing, 39-40 has two openings; one of these openings is connected directly to the mouth of the chute from the bottom hearth; the center of this opening is substantially fifty degrees over the horizontal in the direction of travel of the inside cylinder or valve proper, whereas the center of the second opening, 0, is approximately 220 degrees beyond the center of the first opening in the direction of the travel of the inside cylinder or rotary valve, which latter has but one opening and this is for the purpose of allow ing a charge of the spent shale to enter the valve, which in rotatlng from its receiving to its discharging position cuts off communication between the valve or cylinder and In other words, the spent shale piles up in the chute from the bottom hearth until the opening in the revolving cylinder or valve registers with the opening in the outer fixed cylinder or valve this cylinder reaches the inner edge of the opening, a, in the outside casing, or in other words, when the openings in the casing and valve begin to register, the charge of shale begins to drop out of the valve and to a point outside of the retort, and may be carried away or disposed of in any desired manner. When the center of the opening, 6, of the revolving cylinder or valve coincides or registers with the open end of the chute, and which is represented by the opening in the casing in which the valve or inner cylinder rotates, the valve is wide open and in position to receive another charge of spent shale. Briefly stated, while the inside cylinder is receiving shale from a chute at one side of the retort, as shown at the righthand side of Fig. 5, .the discharge of shale from the chute at the other. side of the retort is cut-off by the. solid portion of the valve at this point; and when the inside cylinder is emptying its contents to the outside, as shown at the left of Fig. 5, the other valve has been moved to make its opening register with the chute thereby entirely closing the discharge opening. This construction provides for the exclusion of air from the retort at all times.

Heat is introduced to the several heating chambers in'any desired manner. As shown it is introduced to the lower heating chamberor'hearth, 1, at the left hand side of the retort, Fig, 6, by means of appropriate burners, 42. This heat is obtained by the burning of either gas or fuel oil or it may be derived from other sources. Within each heating chamber I arrange appropriate baffieS,/43, which are designed to distribute and deflect the burned gases up against the underside of the corresponding hearth. Each heating chamber is connected at alternate sides by fiues or passages, 44, and the burnedgases pass from one heating chamber, say the lower chamber, for instance, through a fiueor passage, 44, to the heating chambernext above, the'fiue or chamber being, if desired, built upon the outside of the retort casing. From the second heating chamber the gases after passing across the same enter the flue at the opposite side and pass to the heating chamber next above, this operation occurring throughout the several chambers :of the retort. The object in having or locating the flues, 44, on the outside of the retort and arranged as shown is to obtain the full benefit of the hearth area and compel the heated gases to enter at one side underneath a hearth and cross the retort underneath the same hearth. leaving at the opposite side.

If desired, apyrometer, 45, is placed in each of the flues to indicate the temperature of the burned gases passing therethrough; also, if desired, the supplemental burners, 42, may be placed at the side of the retort to add the heat required for heating the successive chambers. As the construction ofathe chambers and fiues and gas admission means are practically the samethrouglr out the entire retort, it is thought that the foregoing explanation of these parts will be sufficient and will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The uppermost chamber, 6, has an exhaust or opening leading into a final flue, 46, which may also have a pyrometer, 47, and the gasesmay escape to the atmosphere to be otherwise disposed of as desired, a damper, 48, beingemployed also if desired to regulate the draft through this final flue.

Reference to' Figs. 2, 5, and 6, will show a coil or number'of pipes, 50, as being disposed in the lowermost heating chamber and which pipes are designed to be connected to the bottom central hollow shaft, .16, a valve, 51, in this pipe arrangement serving to regulate the flow of superheated steam, which is generated in this pipe system. The steam whichis caused to form in the coil, 50, enters the lower end of the hollow central shaft and is conducted to the several hollow rabble-arms through the openings, 35, before described, and this steam escapes from the arms in the form of jets which are so arranged and adjusted to play a stream of superheated steam under a low pressure upon the shale as it is falling upon the respective hearths and is in process of being rabblcd.

Each of the hearths before mentioned is annular and interposed between the hearths are the annular heating or combustion chambers. The roofs of the chambers constituting the floors of the hearths immediately above, and the floors of the heating chambers constituting the hearths immediately below the hearths and the floors of the combustion or heating chambers are flat and are closed around the central shaft, but have openings at the marginal portions to connect with the side flues. Both in the hearths and in the heating or combustion chambers, all existing joints will be packed with asbestos packing or the like and will be made tight to prevent the escapeof vapors orburned gases. It will also'be understood that each hearth has its own heating or combustion chamber and its own rabble-arms.

It willalso be observed that in the heating chambers are pipes, 52, and the purpose of these is to collect the vapors derived from the distillation of the shale or sandson the different hearths, and which vapors may then be conducted to some appropriate condenser, not shown. In the arrangement shown, one of the vapor pipes collects the vapors distilled off from hearths, 1 and 2; a similar pipe, 52', collects the vapors distilled off from hearths, 3 and 4, and a third pipe, 52, Fig. 6, collects the vapors distilled oil from the hearths, 5 and 6, this latter pipe being vertically disposed and extending through the top of the retort casing.

In the described retort all of the moving parts including feed, distributionv and discharging of the oil-sands or oil-shale, are connected to and regulated by one main source of power, so that in case a longer period is desired for the treatment of the shale at any particular degree of heat, the slowing down of the main vertical shaft will automatically slow down the feed distribution and discharge of the oil-sands or oilshale, or vice versa.

The central vertical shaft is supported on roller bearings, 55, which may be of any well known and appropriate type.

Various other accessories and in fact such other features as may be necessary for the commercialworking of an apparatus of this character may be supplied wherever the ex istence of such hearths will be found of advantage.

From the foregoing it will be understood that in the operation of the apparatus, the shale or like material which has been reduced to more or less fineness, is delivered to the uppermost of the hearths and during its progress through the retort it is subjected to a continuous heat of different degrees of intensity, the heat increasing as the shale is advanced toward the lowermost hearth. During this treatment the different constituents are distilled off very quickly and can be conducted away separately, thereby re sulting in great saving.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is l. A continuous retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort comprising a series of superposed intercommunicating annular hearths, a combustion or heating chamber interposed between said hearths, the floors of said hearths constituting the roofs of the heating or combustionchamber, and means for ad vancing the material from one hearth to an other, said means including a hollow central shaft having hollow arms radiating therefrom and provided with rabbles, and means for supplying steam to said shaft and arms, said arms being perforated to allow steam to be directed onto the material being treated.

2. A continuous retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort comprising a series of superposed intercommunicating hearths and a combustion or heating chamber interposed between successive hearths, the floors of said hearths constituting the roofs of the heating chamber, a vertical central shaft and rabble arms carried thereby, said shaft and arms being hollow and adapted to convey steam to the material on the hearths, a steam supply connecting with the shaft, and an exterior flue connecting each heating or combustion chamber to the next heating chamber above whereby the heated gases are used successively in the heatin chambers until they are finally discharge 3. A continuous retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort comprising a series of superposed intercommunicating hearths and a combustion or heating chamber interposed between successive hearths, the floors of said hearths constituting the roofs of the heating chamber, a vertical central shaft and rabble arms carried thereby, said shaft and arms being hollow and adapted to convey steam to the material on the hearths, a steam supply connecting with the shaft, and an exterior flue connecting each heating or combustion chamber to the next heating chamber above whereby the heated gases are used successively in the heating chamber until they are finally discharged, said heating or combustion chambers having baflles adapted to deflect the heated gases up against the roofs of said chambers.

4. A continuous retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort comprising a series of superposed intcrcommunicating annular hearths discharg ing successively into one another, a combustion or heating chamber interposed between each hearth, means for rabbling the oil-shale or oil-sands on the floor of the hearths to a central or marginal discharge, said means including plows and a hollow rabble-arm carrying the same, a main hollow central shaft connected to and rotating said arm, said arm having means for supplying jets of superheated steam to the shale while being rabbled, and means for regulating the amount of steam for the different degrees of heat.

5. A continuous retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort comprising a series of superposed intercommunicating annular hearths, a combustionor heating chamber interposed be tween said hearths, the floors of said hearths constituting the roofs of the heating or combustion chambers, means for advancing the material from one hearth to another, said means including a hollow central shaft having hollow arms radiating therefrom and communicating therewith, and provided with rabbles, means for supplying steam to said shaft, said arms being perforated to allow steam to be directed onto the material being treated, supplemental fuel burners for applying different degrees of heat on the different hearths, and means for separately collecting the vapors derived from the distillation on different hearths.

6. A continuous retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort comprising a series of superposed intercommunicating annular hearths discharging successively into one another, means for feeding material to the uppermost hearth while excluding the escape of vapors and the admission of outside air to the hearth, a combustion or heating chamber interposed between each hearth, a fuel burner for the lowermost hearth and supplemental burners for delivering additional heat to other hearths whereby different degrees of heat may be applied to the different hearths, separate means at different elevations in the retort for collecting oil according to the specific gravity of the condensed vapors, a vertical hollow shaft having hollow perforated arms with rabbles operating over the hearths, and means for supplying steam to said shaft.

7. A vertical retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort having a superposed series of communicating hearths and intermediate heating chambers, a fuel burner for supplying heat to the lowermost hearth and other burners for supplying additional heat to other of said hearths, means separately collecting vapors at different elevations of the retort, means for feeding material to the uppermost hearth, a vertical hollow shaft having hollow arms provided with rabbles operating over the hearths, and a steam supply connecting with said shaft.

8. The combination with a retort having a series of superposed and intercommunicating hearths certain of said hearths having central openings, and-a central revolving shaft having rabble-arms, of flanges and glands adapted to preventair from entering the hearths from around said shaft, means for conducting the superheated steam to the shaft and rabble-arms, a gland and a'flange near the top of said shaft and rigidly attached to the top of the upper hearth, a flange around the shaft at each hearth where the shale'is received at the center, a hood around said flange rigidly attached to said shaft and revolving with it, a casing at the bottom hearth around the said shaft and rigidly attached to the bottom hearth and to the bottom of the retort, and adapted to protect the shaft from excess heat which obtain at the bottom hearth, a gland at the lower end of the shaft adapted to prevent outside air from entering the bottom hearth, and apipe for conducting superheated steam into the hollow shaft adapted to fit into the lower part of said glan 9. A continuous retort for the destructive distillation of oil-sands and oil-shale, said retort comprising a series of superposed intercommunicating annular hearths, a combustion or heating chamber interposed between said hearths, the floors of said hearths constituting the roofs of the heating or combustion chamber, separate doorcontrolled openings to the separate hearths, and means for advancing the material from one hearth to another, said means including a hollow central shaft having hollow arms radiating therefrom and provided with rabbles, and means for supplying steam to said shaft and arms, said arms being perforated to allow steam to be directed onto the material being treated.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANK JONES. 

